The Sailor's Word-Book Part 118

GULLET. A small stream in a water-worn course.

GULL-SHARPER. One who preys upon Johnny Raws.

GULLY. The channels worn on the face of mountains by heavy rains. Also, a rivulet which empties itself into the sea.

GULLY SQUALL. Well known off tropical America in the Pacific, particularly abreast of the lakes of Leon, Nicaragua, &c. Monte Desolado gusts have dismantled many stout s.h.i.+ps.

GULPIN. An awkward soldier; a weak credulous fellow [from the Gaelic _golben_, a novice].

GUM. "Shaking the gum out of a sail" is said of the effect of bad weather on new canvas.

GUMPUS. A fish, called also _numscull_, for allowing itself to be guddled.

GUN. The usual service name for a _cannon_ (which see); it was originally called great gun, to distinguish it from the small or hand guns, muskets, blunderbusses, &c. The general construction for guns of cast metal is fairly represented by the old rule that the circ.u.mference at the breech ought to measure eleven calibres, at the trunnions nine, and at the muzzle seven, for iron; and in each instance two calibres less for bra.s.s guns. But the introduction of wrought-iron guns, built up with outer jackets of metal shrunk on one above another, is developing other names and proportions in the new artillery. (_See_ BUILT-UP GUNS.) The weight of these latter, though differently disposed, and required not so much for strength as for modifying the recoil or shock to the carriage on discharge, is not very much less, proportionally, for heavy guns of full power, than that of the old ones, being about 1-1/4 cwt. of gun for every 1 lb. of shot; for light guns for field purposes it is about 3/4 cwt. for every 1 lb. of shot. Guns are generally designated from the weight of the shot they discharge, though some few natures, introduced princ.i.p.ally for firing sh.e.l.ls, were distinguished by the diameter of their bore in inches; with the larger guns of the new system, in addition to this diameter, the weight in tons is also specified.--_Gun_, in north-country cant, meant a large flagon of ale, and _son of a gun_ was a jovial toper: the term, owed its derivation to lads born under the breast of the lower-deck guns in olden times, when women were allowed to accompany their husbands. Even in 1820 the best petty officers were allowed this indulgence, about one to every hundred men. Gunners also, who superintended the youngsters, took their wives, and many living admirals can revert to kindness experienced from them.

These "sons of a gun" were tars, and no mistake.--_Morning gun_, a signal fired by an admiral or commodore at day-break every morning for the drums or bugles to sound the reveille. A gun of like name and nature is generally in use in fortresses; as is also the _evening gun_, fired by an admiral or commodore at 9 P.M. in summer, and 8 P.M. in winter, every night, on which the drums or bugles sound the retreat.

GUN AND HEAD MONEY. Given to the captors of an enemy's s.h.i.+p of war destroyed, or deserted, in fight. It was formerly a.s.sumed to be about 1000 per gun.

GUNBOAT. A light-draught boat fitted to carry one or more cannon in the bow, so as to cannonade an enemy while she is end-on. They are princ.i.p.ally useful in fine weather, to cover the landing of troops, or such other occasions. They were formerly impelled by sails and sweeps but now by steam-power, which has generally increased their size, and much developed their importance. According to Froissart, cannon were fired from boats in the fourteenth century.

GUN-CHAMBERS. In early artillery, a movable chamber with a handle, like a paterero, used in loading at the breech. In more recent times the name has been used for the small portable mortars for firing salutes in the parks.

GUN-COTTON. An explosive compound, having some advantages over gunpowder, but so irregular hitherto in its action that it is at present used only for mining purposes. It consists of ordinary cotton treated with nitric and sulphuric acid and water, and has been named by chemists "pyroxylin," "nitro-cellulose," &c.

GUN-DECK. _See_ DECKS.

GUN-FIRE. The morning or evening guns, familiarly termed "the admiral falling down the hatchway."

GUN-GEAR. Everything pertaining to its handling.

GUN-HARPOON. _See_ HARPOON.

GUN-LADLE. _See_ LADLE.

GUN-LOD. A vessel filled with combustibles, but rather for explosion than as a fire-s.h.i.+p.

GUN-METAL. The alloy from which bra.s.s guns are cast consists of 100 parts of copper to 10 of tin, retaining much of the tenacity of the former, and much harder than either of the components; but the late improved working of wrought-iron and steel has nearly superseded its application to guns.

GUNNADE. A short 32-pounder gun of 6 feet, introduced in 1814; afterwards termed the sh.e.l.l-gun.

GUNNEL. _See_ GUNWALE.

GUNNELL. A spotted ribbon-bodied fish, living under stones and among rocks.

GUNNER, OF A s.h.i.+P OF WAR. A warrant-officer appointed to take charge of the ammunition and artillery on board; to keep the latter properly fitted, and to instruct the sailors in the exercise of the cannon. The warrant of chief-gunner is now given to first-cla.s.s gunners.--_Quarter-gunners._ Men formerly placed under the direction of the gunner, one quarter-gunner being allowed to every four guns. In the army, gunner is the proper t.i.tle of a private soldier of the Royal Artillery, with the exception of those styled drivers.

GUNNER-FLOOK. A name among our northern fishermen for the _Pleuronectes maximus_, or turbot.

GUNNER'S DAUGHTER. The name of the gun to which boys were _married_, or lashed, to be punished.

GUNNER'S HANDSPIKE. Is shorter and flatter than the ordinary handspike, and is shod with iron at the point, so that it bites with greater certainty against the trucks of guns.

GUNNER'S MATE. A petty officer appointed to a.s.sist the gunner.

GUNNER'S PIECE. In destroying and bursting guns, means a fragment of the breech, which generally flies upward.

GUNNER'S QUADRANT. _See_ QUADRANT.

GUNNER'S TAILOR. An old rating for the man who made the cartridge-bags.

GUNNER'S YEOMAN. _See_ YEOMAN.

GUNNERY. The art of charging, pointing, firing, and managing artillery of all kinds.

GUNNERY-LIEUTENANT. "One who, having obtained a warrant from a gunnery s.h.i.+p, is eligible to large s.h.i.+ps to a.s.sist specially in supervising the gunnery duties; he draws increased pay."

GUNNERY-s.h.i.+P. A s.h.i.+p fitted for training men in the practice of charging, pointing, and firing guns and mortars for the Royal Navy.

(_See_ SEAMEN-GUNNERS.)

GUNNING. An old term for shooting; it is now adopted by the Americans.

After the wreck of the _Wager_, on hearing the pistols fired at Cozens, "it was rainy weather, and not fit for gunning, so that we could not imagine the meaning of it."--_Gunning a s.h.i.+p._ Fitting her with ordnance.--_Gunning_, in mining, is when the blast explodes and does not rend the ma.s.s.--_Gunning_, signals enforced by guns.

GUNNING-BOAT, OR GUNNING-SHOUT. A light and narrow boat in which the fen-men pursue the flocks of wild-fowl.

GUNNY. Sackcloth or coa.r.s.e canvas, made of fibres used in India, chiefly of jute.

GUNNY-BAGS. The sacks used on the India station for holding rice, biscuit, &c.; often as sand-bags in fortification.

GUN-PENDULUM. _See_ BALLISTIC PENDULUM.

GUN-PORTS. _See_ PORTS.

GUNPOWDER. The well-known explosive composition which, for its regularity of effect and convenience in manufacture and use, is still preferred for general purposes to all the new and more violent but more capricious agents. In England it is composed of 75 parts saltpetre to 10 sulphur and 15 charcoal; these proportions are varied slightly in different countries. The ingredients are mixed together with great mechanical nicety, and the compound is then pressed and granulated. On the application of fire it is converted into gas with vast explosive power, but subject to tolerably well-known laws.

GUN-ROOM. A compartment on the after-end of the lower gun-deck of large s.h.i.+ps of war, partly occupied by the junior officers; but in smaller vessels it is below the gun-deck, and the mess-room of the lieutenants.

GUNROOM-PORTS. In frigates, stern-ports cut through the gun-room.

GUN-SEARCHER. An iron instrument with several sharp-pointed p.r.o.ngs and a wooden handle: it is used to find whether the bore is honey-combed.

GUN-SHOT. Formerly, the distance up to which a gun would throw a shot direct to its mark, without added elevation; as the "line of metal"

(which see) was generally used in laying, this range was about 800 yards. But now that ranges are so greatly increased, with but slight additions to the elevation, the term will include the distances of ordinary "horizontal fire" (which see); as between s.h.i.+ps, with rifled guns, it will not quite reach two miles: though when the mark is large, as a town or dockyard, it is still within long range at five miles'

distance.

GUN-SIGHT. _See_ DISPART, or SIGHTS.

GUN-SLINGS. Long rope grommets used for hoisting in and mounting them.

GUN-STONES. An old term for cannon-b.a.l.l.s, from stones having been first supplied to the ordnance and used for that purpose. Shakspeare makes Henry V. tell the French amba.s.sadors that their master's tennis-b.a.l.l.s shall be changed to gun-stones. This term was retained for a bullet, after the introduction of iron shot.